Queensland's youth justice system is breaching human rights, Australia's National Children's Commissioner says. 

Commissioner Anne Hollonds says the state is systematically breaching human rights by locking up more children in police watch houses, and that it is wasting money on youth justice measures that do not make the community safer.

Queensland is considering building a fourth youth detention centre in Queensland, but Commissioner Hollonds says a new facility is not the solution to youth crime.

“The evidence shows that locking up children does not reduce offending, in fact it has the opposite effect that time spent in prison actually leads to more time spent in prison,” she said.

“I believe we're wasting public money on approaches that are not keeping the community safer and I think politicians need to own up to that.

“Locking up children in police watch houses is a breach of numerous human rights conventions. It should never be happening.

“The fact that it's happening is a sign that our systems have failed.”

More details are accessible here.